In the lawsuit filed by the non-profit legal organization Our Children’s Trust on December 10 on behalf of children aged 8 to 17, it was argued that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “intentionally allowed environmental pollution that threatens the life of the public.”
The plaintiffs argued that the EPA discriminated against children by ignoring them, violating their Constitutional right to equal life and protection.
Julia Olson, a lawyer from Our Children’s Trust, emphasized that it is the primary duty of the EPA to protect the public against environmental pollution, and said that the federal agency should be held accountable before the law for failing to achieve this.
It was also claimed that EPA President Michael Regan did not fulfill his responsibilities by not taking steps against environmental pollution.
In the lawsuit, it was argued that the EPA had turned a blind eye to the United States turning into one of the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases in the world since its establishment in 1970.
“We constantly worry about the future”
CNN, one of the US media outlets, quoted 15-year-old Noah, one of the plaintiffs, as saying:
“We constantly worry about the future. No one around us is moving fast enough. The Constitution guarantees every American the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; this includes children.”
While EPA Spokesperson Timothy Carroll stated to CNN that they could not comment on the legal process, he said that the federal agency was working on regulations against the climate crisis.
